Ludacris Reveals the Hardest Part of Being a Dad

Ludacris may have participated in some less-than-family friendly rapping in his career, but when it comes to his daughter, Karma, he’s a protective papa in every sense of the word.

Luda, AKA Chris Bridges, tells People that he’s still coming to terms with the idea of his 11-year-old growing up.

"I think of her as a little girl," says the rapper, "but I can't keep her in that shell."

As for how he protects Karma from negative influences, especially when some come from his own music, Luda told Jimmy Kimmel, “She listens to the clean versions.”

“We have conversations about everything,” he explains. “She needs to hear it from me.”

The star admits that his favorite form of bonding includes “turning the phone off, no distractions – just her and me talking about what's going on in her world.”

While he thought his honest parenting style was keeping him the main man in his daughter’s life, he was surprised to find out otherwise. “I thought I was the coolest dad because I am Ludacris, but it turns out, I’m the coolest dad because I’ve done songs with Justin Bieber,” he admits.

At the end of the day, more than recognition as being cooler than the Biebs, Luda says he wants his daughter to be “a young lady who has followed her goals and dreams. That's what I want for her."